NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Celmatix, a personalized medicine company focused on fertility and women's health, has launched the Personalized Reproductive Medicine Initiative, an effort to investigate how unique genetic signatures and personalized metrics affect overall fertility.
Under the PReM umbrella, Celmatix will collaborate with academic research institutions and fertility treatment centers to use genomic and other datasets to study reproductive challenges with an eye towards improving how fertility difficulties are diagnosed, treated, and possibly prevented, the company said. Their goals include vetting and validating the existing body of literature that links clinical and genetic signatures to reproductive outcomes; recruiting participants for research and validation studies on fertility-linked genetic signatures; and communicating their findings through collaborative reports, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed journals. The partners will also advocate for greater funding for reproductive medicine and improve awareness of fertility preservation options and difficulties, Celmatix said.
The consortium also hopes to develop products that support fertility clinical decision making. Celmatix has already developed Polaris, a web-based clinical decision support system that helps physicians predict a women's potential of getting pregnant with or without the use of fertility treatments.
Celmatix's list of partners includes the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Institute for Personalized Medicine, Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut, Reproductive Medicine Associates of Michigan, Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, Reproductive Medicine Associates of Philadelphia, Reproductive Medicine Associates of Texas, Shady Grove Fertility, Stanford University's Fertility and Reproductive Health Center, University of Connecticut's Center for Advanced Reproductive Services, and the Women and Infants Health Specimen Consortium at Washington University in St. Louis.
"Better insights into the genetic drivers of fertility potential would ... allow us to more effectively guide fertility patients to successful outcomes," Lynn Westphal, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University, said in a statement. "Decoding something as complex as fertility potential, however, requires an incredible amount of resources and expertise. Now, with the creation of the PReM Initiative, this advancement will be possible."
"There is an enormous benefit to individuals understanding their own fertility potential and taking proactive steps, egg freezing and otherwise, to optimize their chances to conceive," Alan Copperman, director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Mount Sinai Hospital and medical director of RMA of New York, added. "Giving women real data regarding their personal reproductive health could help them make more informed treatment decisions."